Mobile internet now outstrips WiFi in some nations

5G could mean even more speed to come.

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Even though Wi-Fi is generally considered to be faster than mobile internet, that does not necessarily have to be the case. As a matter of fact, in some countries, mobile internet leaves Wi-Fi connections in the dust.

Countries that offer faster mobile internet than Wi-Fi are scattered all over the world, and can be found in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South America.

This is according to a new report by OpenSignal, which found countries that offer faster mobile internet than Wi-Fi are scattered all over the world.

The report adds mobile data is faster on average than Wi-Fi hotspots in 33 countries, with the advantage of 10Mbps or more in countries like Australia, Oman and the Czech Republic.

Multi-megabit advantages are 'common', the report states, in places like Austria, Iran and South Africa. The report hints that the speed difference is more about the home broadband infrastructure, and less about the quality of mobile internet.

Home broadband infrastructure is well-developed in places like Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and the US, and those are the places where Wi-Fi holds out well. However, in places like Lebanon, you can get a 25Mbps faster download on mobile internet.

“Now mobile often offers a faster experience than Wi-Fi, everyone must re-think when and how to use Wi-Fi to complement the mobile experience,” the report states.

“In countries where Wi-Fi is slow, there will be one major less reason for consumers to choose Wi-Fi over cellular for the best experience. Wi-Fi no longer has a guaranteed advantage over mobile in the speed experience it offers smartphone users. With 5G, there will be many more countries where mobile delivers a faster experience than Wi-Fi. But Wi-Fi still has a role.”